How the first ever Bulmint brand bullion coin rose from the flames

As a world-class manufacturer, Bulmint’s rich experience includes the production of investment gold and silver products for partners from the USA to New Zealand - but this year, for the first time in our history as a company, we have released coins made and distributed under our own brand.

We recently unveiled our new series of bullion products inspired by an immortal legend. From the flames of our one-of-a-kind in Bulgaria production plant in proof-like quality comes to life the legend of the phoenix - as lasting as the value of the gold and silver it was immortalised in.

Today we will tell you in detail about this series of investment products that has opened a new page in Bulmint’s history as a company – from its design, to the specifications of each coin, and the technology that went into producting it.

Legends of the phoenix and other mythical birds

The legends of Ancient Greece and Egypt speak of a mythical bird, born of fire and ash.

The oldest preserved mention of the phoenix dates back to the 8th-7th century BCE, mentioned in the intact fragments of Hesiod’s poem. It mentions the longevity of this mythical creature as compared to an ordinary raven and Zeus’s daughters, the nymphs.

In the 5th century BCE, Herodotus gave a more detailed description of a sacred bird with red-gold plumage and akin to an eagle in size and appearance. Every 500 years the phoenix would fly to the Temple of the Sun in Egypt to bury its father, whose remains it carried encased in an egg of resin and myrrh.

Between the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE, Ovid also spoke of the Phoenix of Assyria who would live for 500 years, then build a nest of spices at the top of a palm tree - its final resting place in which it would welcome the end of its life cycle. From its remains, a new phoenix would be born, who would then carry the nest to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt.

In the 4th century CE, the Roman poet Caudian wrote an idyll dedicated to the mythical bird - a beautiful description of a creature equal to the gods, with a fiery gleam in its eyes and a fiery halo around its head, whose crest shines with the light of the sun. In his version, the legend takes on a new dimension - in this version the phoenix lives for 1000 years, and when the end of its life draws near, it builds its nest of herbs - a pyre that will serve as both its grave and its cradle. Apollo or Helios himself puts an end to its suffering and with a celestial sunbeam lights the fire that will grant it new life. From the ashes, a new phoenix is born, and this successor takes its father’s ashes to Egypt and places them at the altar in the temple to the sun god Ra.

In the cultures of Western societies the different versions of the legend have blended together into the image of a bird that symbolises the sun, fire, immortality, and renewal. Its thematic link to the concept of resurrection has earned it a place in modern Christian rhetoric.

There are, however, other mythical creatures that are similar to the phoenix or are often equated with it.

Even in life the Slavic firebird burns with the radiance of the sun itself, and a feather plucked from it continues to shine with the same force. Its role changes according to the story it appears in. Sometimes it is a coveted prize to be fought for and earned. Other times it is a benevolent creature that steals from the rich and gives to the poor. In some stories it is a magical helper that aids the heroes in their daring adventures. The firebird brings good luck, but also trouble - an encounter with it is a sign of imminent hardship.

Inaccurately referred to in the West as a “Chinese phoenix”, the resemblance between the fènghuáng and the mythical bird from Egyptian, Green, and later - Roman mythology is mainly superficial. The Chinese bird is immortal - not capable of resurrecting itself, and it bears no connection to fire. It is held in particularly high regard in East Asian cultures, and each part of its body corresponds to a different principle - virtue, duty, ritual, compassion, and trust.

There are close equivalents and tangentially related mythical creatures in Persian folklore (Simurgh), Armenian folklore (Hazaran Blbul) and Czech folklore (Pták Ohnivák).

Specifications

The design is minted in prooflike bullion quality in a series of products:

• Silver Phoenix bullion coin, 1 troy ounce of silver
• Gold Phoenix bullion coin, 1 troy ounce of gold
• Gold Phoenix bullion coin, 1/4 troy ounce of gold
• Gold Phoenix bullion coin, 1/10 troy ounce of gold

Among their most distinguishing features is the deep relief that allows every detail of the elegant plumage to stand out. This effect, combined with the vitality of the composition, serves to breathe life into the design - outstanding aesthetic qualities in conjunction with the investment quality of the bullion gold and silver coins.

Among the fiery background there is an anti-counterfeit measure - a latent image that, when viewed under the right angle, reveals Bulmint’s logo under the stylised illustration of a flame. Investors will recognise this technology from the popular Britannia bullion coin - it was included in its design in 2021, but was invented all the way in 1993 in Spain and is today used in circulation coins from all over the world.

Face value and country

Every coin in this series is made out of exceptionally pure metal - 999/1000 fine silver and 999.9/1000 fine gold. However, the face value of each of them is significantly lower than its respective worth as an asset, guaranteed by their status as investment gold and silver. The 1 oz Silver Phoenix Coin has a face value of 2 New Zealand Dollars. The 1/10 oz Gold Phoenix coin has a face value of 25 NZD, the 1/4 oz gold coin - 50 NZD, and the 1 oz gold coin - 250 NZD.

The obverse of each product bears the image of the monarch of the United Kingdom, part of which is the island of Niue - King Charles III.

The release of the Phoenix bullion coin series marks a major milestone for Bulmint, with future products already in development. Stay tuned for our next releases, and in the meantime, you can check out our range of investment gold and silver here on our website.